“Blind Faith” Doesn’t Always Cut it with Sat-Nav Systems

Blind faith -Sat-Nav

Some people have so much faith in today’s technology that they throw common sense out the door. Satellite Navigation Systems (Sat-Nav) are becoming more and more popular with drivers around the world, to the extent that they will follow it to the edge of a 100ft cliff, as a man in England found out. Or, more recently, as residents of the Wiltshire village of Luckington discovered.

A common occurrence is to find a stranded motorist in an overflowing street, referred to as The Ford or The Splash. Lesley Bennett, 59, a Luckington parish councilor who lives by the ford, said: “When the car conks out the driver looks stunned. When you ask what happened, they say, ‘My Sat-Nav told me it was this wayÂ’.”  Even though there were warning signs and detour signs at least 2 cars get pulled out a day because they trusted technology and blindly followed directions even when their common sense said stop.

Sales for Sat-Nav’s have increased five times in the past 2 years, Mintel says, a market research organization. Apparently people are interested in this useful service but they also need appreciate the fact that the technology is not perfect and that it will never replace human instinct.

Blind faith -Sat-Nav

Some people have so much faith in today’s technology that they throw common sense out the door. Satellite Navigation Systems (Sat-Nav) are becoming more and more popular with drivers around the world, to the extent that they will follow it to the edge of a 100ft cliff, as a man in England found out. Or, more recently, as residents of the Wiltshire village of Luckington discovered.

A common occurrence is to find a stranded motorist in an overflowing street, referred to as The Ford or The Splash. Lesley Bennett, 59, a Luckington parish councilor who lives by the ford, said: “When the car conks out the driver looks stunned. When you ask what happened, they say, ‘My Sat-Nav told me it was this wayÂ’.”  Even though there were warning signs and detour signs at least 2 cars get pulled out a day because they trusted technology and blindly followed directions even when their common sense said stop.

Sales for Sat-Nav’s have increased five times in the past 2 years, Mintel says, a market research organization. Apparently people are interested in this useful service but they also need appreciate the fact that the technology is not perfect and that it will never replace human instinct.

Add a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *